#770 - August 15, 2014 It's not a very sexy subject to tackle on this weekend with all the sexy cars being driven around the Central Coast, but time is of the essence: we think Monterey County government might be moving way too fast. Now don't adjust your TV or call 911, I know it might be shocking for anyone to ever say government around here is EVER moving too fast, but in this case, it's true. It seems Monterey County is very close to the purchase of the old Capital One building down in the office park area just south of Salinas. For a county that took more than a decade to figure out a new General Plan, this whole office building scheme has moved at light-speed. The County proposes they buy the building and move hundreds of county workers down there who are now working in the center of Salinas. The upside is that workers would be centralized in one building. But we think there's a lot of downside to this plan. Contrary to modern urban planning, this would displace workers from a city-center, which has plenty of dining and shopping options within walking distance, to a fairly remote outpost. It also runs contrary to the Memo of Understanding that the City of Salinas and Monterey County signed two years ago, outlining their mutual interest in a revitalized and improved County Government Center located in and around the new county administration building and courts, just west of Main Street Salinas. Further, sale of the old Capital One building to the government, would mean that all of us get to own it, rather than a taxpaying private owner. When occupied, the site also supported 2,000 well-paying office jobs in the private sector - all of those workers would help improve the local economy, too. There's a public meeting in Salinas this Monday in the City Rotunda, from 4 to 6pm. Supervisor Jane Parker and Mayor Joe Gunter will be there to get the input from interested citizens, before the County Supervisor's planned vote on this proposed purchase on Tuesday, August 26th. We are pleased that at the last minute, the County did add this public meeting to the plan - but our KSBW Editorial Board is still perplexed. In a place where it took 25 years of bickering, doom-saying, and second-guessing, to get the last hotel on Monterey's Cannery Row completed, what's the big deal about taking ample time to be sure this whole government purchase scheme is really a good idea? ###################### ###################### ###################### ###################### ###################### ######################